What Do You Believe? A Call to Action

Already this year the state board decided to change the cut scores for the new FCAT 2.0 - a change that while necessary to even out performance for students from grades 3-10, does indeed cause some disruption midstream in the school year. There will be a dip in student scores, resulting in a dip in school's scores, even here for us. My job since learning this in December has been to try and limit the decline by strategically targeting resources, encourageing teachers to stay the course and having primary teachers reach out to former students and their colleagues in support.

This past week I was made aware of a number of new proposed changes to the way Florida would approach school grades. 14 proposed changes to be exact. These changes are being recommended by the department of education and will be considered by the state board of education this coming Tuesday, February 28 - the day 4th graders across the state take the first FCAT assessment of the year - the writing test. A number of the 14 make sense, a few will even be of benefit to us but several of the changes leave me questioning the intent. I urge any concerned voter to carefully consider the message being sent to our public schools, ones where there are many challenges but ones where caring people are working hard and growth IS being made.

The most troubling 3 proposed changes were outlined below by Save Duval Schools

Proposed Change: Include students with disabilities & 2nd year English language learners in the school grade for their “proficiency” score on the FCAT.

What it Means: Right now, ESE & ELL students are counted in the school grade to determine if they made learning gains/progress. We want our students to be counted, but not punished. Many of them will not be considered “proficient” by the same standards as other children, but they are not failures. If their performance at the best of their abilities counts against their school grade they will become a liability to schools and much of the progress of last decades will be lost. Local centers serving our most challenged students will be graded like all schools and will become automatic “F” schools, enter “Intervene” status and principals & ½ of the staff will have to change. MAJOR INCREASE IN D & F SCHOOLS; FORMERLY A, B & Cs

Proposed Change: Require students who make a 1 or 2 on the FCAT to make more than 1 year's growth or the school grade will be penalized.

What It Means: Students already struggling & facing great challenges will have to make significantly more than 1 year's growth or be considered a failure. One years' growth is an accomplishment and it takes incredible work for children already behind their peers, including our ESE & ELL students. When the cut scores for what growth means keep changing mid-year, how will our students achieve? INCREASE IN D & F SCHOOLS; FORMERLY A, B & Cs

Proposed Change: Reading Performance Threshold: schools must have at least 25% of their students reading at proficient or they will become an automatic “F.”

What It Means: No matter what else a school has done to meet state guidelines for its letter grade – performance in math, growth of level 1 & 2 students, graduation rate increases – none of it will matter if the school doesn't have 25% of its students at a level 3 or higher on the reading FCAT. They will become an automatic “F” school and enter intervene status, which will require principal & staff changes and intervention from the state. RETURN SCHOOLS THAT HAVE IMPROVED TO F STATUS

Who to Contact with Your Concerns:
Commissioner of Education, Gerard Robinson - Commissioner@fldoe.org
State Board of Education Members: - lynn.abbott@fldoe.org

You can also complete the State Board's survey form about the changes, found here.

One of my favorite stories told by a veteran principal who worked in one of our city's most challenging schools was about taking a group of community members to the bottom of a flight of stairs and telling them to get to the top in one leap, without falling or help - impossible they said - yet that is a classic example of what is being expected of the children if these changes pass. She made them see how ridiculous that is - to expect that you can leap to the top in one jump. The top is attainable and each and every step, no matter how hard fought, is critical in helping each child get there.

Don't get me wrong - I believe wholeheartedly in accountability but I also know you can not effect lasting change in any system overnight. I also believe in public education - a system where every child, no matter the challenge is served and nurtured, trained and taught.

What do you believe?

Small Steps Can Change the World

The book of the month program we have at Chets Creek has long existed as one of the drivers of our thematic and instructional focuses each school year. Personally, I use it to continue to propel my own professional learning forward as I work to keep up with the newest information and research out there that will help move our practice forward and provide deep and meaningful learning experiences for students. It's my baby, well one of them at least, and it stretches my thinking as I work to get the maximum leverage I can get from using a 40 minute period to present it in a way that teachers can hopefully take back and use with students in their own classrooms. I even house all the artifacts for each book on a Wiki we've created.

With our heroic theme of "Empowering the Future" this year I found the perfect book to kick off our book of the month program for the year. Giant Steps to Change the World, by Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee, is an inspirational picture book filled with examples of real life heroes who have taken small steps throughout history that led to big change for the world. The one thing all of these heroes had in common was a big dream and then big obstacles standing in their way. Through challenges and with a resolute spirit they each overcame the hurdles placed in their way to make a difference. Even though the heroes are unnamed it is easy to determine them because of the legacy left for us through the descriptions of their accomplishments.

In front loading some background information about the heroes in the book we reviewed some of the commonly known tidbits but also had some aha moments about what made these folks and their contributions to the world so special. So in an effort to continue brainwashing my teachers into understanding that they are all indeed "real heroes" I have asked them to highlight their own heroic selves by sharing their answers to the following:

Something You May Not Know About Me:
A Fear I've Overcome:
My Finest Accomplishment:
My Quote:
My Big Dream Is:
My Next Heroic Step:

I really chose this book to remind us to look inward and search for our most heroic selves. Our work, in particular, requires it. Teaching is not for the faint at heart – it requires passion, courage and most importantly, conviction. There will be barriers placed in our way but we owe it to ourselves and to our children to never allow them to thwart our attempts at striving towards our goals. We all have the potential for life changing greatness and no amount of fear or doubt should stop us from dreaming big and taking that first step. Sometimes even the smallest step can have the biggest impact.

One child at a time...

Chet the Eagle has a BLOG!

This year at Chets Creek we have a new school blog that is being written by Chet the Eagle (really Melanie, our webmaster, but let’s keep that a secret). Chet is helping us highlight some school wide events and positive happenings that go on every week. Take a few minutes to stop by Chet the Eagle’s new blog and check out all the cool things that have already happened this school year!

Empowering the Future - one child at a time...

Dear Ms. Julie,

Was reminded yet again at the importance of building real relationships with our children when this letter came in the mail today for our front desk secretary from a former student...

Dear Ms. Julie,
Hello Ms. Julie. Its your old favorite student Nicholas. How is your family and your puppy doing? I'm being better at school. You will be proud of me. I'm making good grades. How are you at your job at Chets Creek? Will you please tell Ms. KK, Ms. Cole, Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Bass, Ms. Ciupak, Ms. Walag, Ms. Nash, Mrs. Montero and Mrs. Phillips hello from me and tell them I love them. I really miss seeing you every day. I can't wait to go fishing with you and your family!! See you soon. I love you!
Love, Nicholas

Lest you ever think that you don't leave a lasting impression on the children in our care - think again. One child at a time...

One Child at a Time

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs

This is one of my favorite quotes by far and when I ran across it again this week after the death of its author I was struck again by how much it reminds me of the faculty and staff at Chets. We are certainly held out as the misfits – the rebels, even troublemakers but no matter what, there is no denying that we are crazy enough to change the world, and we are – one child at a time…

Help Us Help the ARC!

We just celebrated the first birthday of our Academic Resource Center at Portside with a huge party for the 234 students and 110 volunteers who have been through the doors for tutoring and outside of school support since it's opening. It is an incredible place, with enormous potential to change an entire community! We have developed great partnerships with American Residential Communities, the community owners, and Beach United Methodist Church that have helped us transform what was once only a dream into a growing and evolving reality. We have begun searching for ways to find funding to help support the programs being offered and are currently competing for a grant funded by Community First Credit Union which is looking to provide money to projects that help better the community. The ARC certainly fits the bill! Please help us win this opportunity by clicking "Like" on our submission on facebook.

A Bend in the Road...

Honestly it's been a pretty bad week for me - in fact, one of the worst I can remember in a long time.  Our budget situation for next year is more horrible than I could have ever imagined, resulting the in the loss of $854,000.  Yep, you read that right, there are three zeros behind that 854, almost a million dollars lost.  Impact: Supplies, Instructional Materials, Books, and more importantly PEOPLE - Paraprofessionals, Office Staff, and Teachers.  This enormous sum has translated into the potential loss of as many as 28 of our valued employees and treasured CCE family members.  Devastating.  I am sad for the terrible loss of our part time employees who are just out of a job, disheartened for the full time employees who are being surplussed into uncertainty and deeply worried about how the loss of these critical stakeholders will impact our children.  The ways in which our precious future are touched and changed by these people each and every school day are immeasurable.

And then I was reminded of something very important by one of our baby teachers - one of the very teachers I had to bring into my office this week to tell that she may be losing her position here.  During a time when it would be easy to be wrapped up in how devastating these changes could be for her she instead thought of others and reached out to me in an act of selfless generosity.  The spirit of which epitomizes what has always made the Creek just a little different.  We are a family of people who care about and love each other, we rally in the tough times, lift each other up when necessary and stick together like no school community I've ever had the privledge of serving.

I dragged myself into my office Thursday morning, still reeling from the emotional conversations I'd had the beginning of the week, and worried about how we would manage.  On the middle of my desk was a large white box, covered in yellow and black CAUTION tape and inside this box were "rocky road" cupcakes complete with road signs, orange traffic cones and a note that began with this quote:

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road...unless you fail to make the turn." Author Unknown

The note continued with these precious words, "...I thought this week would be the perfect time to send you a little something to brighten your day.  I heard the above quote earlier this week and it really hit home with me right now.  I know I can't even fathom the long road we have ahead of us but I know this school will make the turn.  I am blown away by how many high spirits I see throughout the halls and I know that it is only happening because this school truly has something different and wonderful about it..."

WOW, out of the mouths of babes - she's right.  No matter what roadblocks are thrown in our way - and trust me there have been plenty over the years, we have not AND will not be deterred from our mission to create a learning community where caring individuals feel safe to dream of the unknown, experiment with ideas and experience the thrill of success.  Our children can't afford for us to fail, they deserve the very best we have to offer them.  It's not the end of the road, just time to start making the turn...